This week I'm talking to Amanda O'Brien,  Designer at Jima Designs and 24 year resident of Osaka. 

Amanda believes that there are no coincidences in life and that everything will turn out OK in the end. Mostly, her story is a result of living this philosophy wholeheartedly. She studied Industrial Design in Australia and on a whim in her final weeks of study she jumped on a plane and arrived in Tokyo. It was the waning years of the bubble era. She looks back now and wonders how in hell she found an apartment and a job the very next day, even though the only Japanese she knew was “konnichiwa” and “arigatou”. It was tough living in Tokyo though, and she left within two years vowing to not return. After leaving Japan, she returned again to Australia and worked as a kitchen designer. It wasn’t too long however, before she packed up and headed to live in London. It was on her first day here, passing through the train station, that she met Yoshiko the woman who introduced her to her husband. After two years together in London they travelled extensively and then finally returned to Osaka. They have three teenagers. This is her 24th year here. The longest place she has ever lived.

We talk about:

How Amanda came to be in Japan - it's a doozie!

How she started an architectural firm in Japan with her husband

Funny stories about name mix ups

Using an architect vs a house building company

A transformation that Amanda had gone through

Being introverted and playing the extrovert

Come and join us in the podcast club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/transformationswithjaynepodcast/

Links of things mentioned in this episode:

Website: jima-design.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jimadesign/